Auto door sign



1 March 26, 1929. A. LOHN, m 1,706,578

AUTO DOOR SIGN Fil ed Aug. 5, 1926 HIIIHH Patented Mar. 26, 1929.

UNITED STATES ALBERT W. LOHN, JR., OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

AUTO DOOR SIGN.

Application filed August 3, 1926. Serial No. 126,760.

Although my present invention is entitled an Auto door sign (this designation being ap plied to a device upon which Patent No. 1,473,588 was granted to me on November 6th, 1923) it will be obvious that the organization herein described is generally applicable in the removable attachment of any external member comprising sheet metal or the like, substantially parallel with the outer surface below a lateral opening in a car body; and it is a merit of my'present invention that, although it may be used mainly in the removable attachment of advertising signs to the doors of closed cars, it is capable also of attachment to the doors of open cars or in a corresponding position relatively to window openings or other lateral openings in open or closed cars, or elsewhere.

It is an object of my. invention to provide simple and reliable means for so attaching an auto door sign, or the like, as constantly and resiliently to press the lower edge of the same inward; and preferred embodiments of my invention may comprise two-part clips, at least one of the mentioned parts being resiliently, although permanently, secured near an edge of an opening in a car, and one of said clip members being preferably provided internally with resilient means tending to prevent accidental separation of said clip members.

Specifically, it is an object of my present invention to provide an auto door sign, or

the like, with attachmentmeans which need not extend within an opening, or engage any inner surface of a car; and a preferred embodiment of my invention may comprise an auto sign having an integral lateral extension to the lower or inner surface of which permanently secured, parallel therewith, a comparatively long flat springythis spring being attached near its ends to said sign element, or the like, and attached centrally to one member of a two-partclio, a cooperating clipmemher being attached to a horizontal or inclined edge provided by a door, or the like. These clip members may be permanently secured to said sign and to said edge but capable of disconnection at will,-one of said clip members being preferably provided with resilient means adapted to engage screws, or the like (used in the attachment of the other of said members) to prevent accidental separation of said members.

Other objects of my invention may be best appreciated from the following description of an illustrative embodiment thereof, taken in connection with the appended claims and the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a car equipped with an embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a detail view, taken in a plane such as that indicated by the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken approxi mately at right angles to Fig. 2 and substantially as indicated by the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a view corresponding to F i 2 but showing different features of door construction and showing clip members as disconnected,a comparison of this view with Fig. 2 being intended to reveal a tendency of parts hereinafter described to press the auto sign, or its equivalent, resiliently against a car door, or the like, and to indicate that the providing of a depression to receive a clip member attached to the door, or its equivalent, is entirely optional.

Referring to the details of that specific embodiment of my invention chosen for purposes of illustration, 11 being a horizontal or inclined upper edge provided by a frame of a car door D, or the like, assumed to be provided with or protected by a usual layer of sheet metal 12 extending thereover (and covering an outer surface below a lateral opening in said door, or the like) optionally providing a local depression 13 substantially exceeding in length a clip member 14, I may attach the latter by fastening elements such as suitably spaced screws 15, 15.

These screws may advantageously be casehardened thread-cutting screws retained entirely or mainly by engagement with the sheet metal 12; and the clip members 14 may be so formed as to provide inwardly rebent longitudinal edges 16, 16, adapted to receive and to retain inter-fitting parts of any suitable cooperating clip member.

A cooperating clip member 17, comprising the interfitting 18, 18, secured indirectly to an auto sign S, or the like, (shown as comprising a stiff sheet metal body 19 depend-- ent from an inwardly bent flange 20) may be secured to said flange by means such as a comparatively long fiat reinforcement or spring 21,this spring being shown as terminally attached by rivets 22, extending through flange 20, and as centrally attached by rivets 23, 23, only the last of these extending through both the clip member 17 and a resilient retaining member 24 therein. This retaining member is shown as positioned centrally within the last-mentioned clip member and as provided with downwardly divergent portions 25, 25, upwardly recurved at 26, 526, and adapted to engage spaced projections such as the heads of screws 15, 15, removably to retain the mentioned clip members in the interiitting relationship in which they are shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

The sheet metal 19 may be outwardly covered by a sheet 27 or oil cloth or the like, adapted to carry any desired design and/or lettering; and its inner surface may be partially or completely covered with a layer of felt or other fabric 28, or similar material, to obviate risk of a scratching of the finish upon acar door, or the like; and, for the purpose last referred to, the rivets 22, or their equivalents, may be covered with smaller pieces 29 of felt or other fabric.

From the foregoing description, it will be understood that an auto sign and a car door, or the like, being respectively constructed and provided with clips of the general character disclosed, a slight application of pressure and a sliding movement of the sign S, or

its equivalent, relatively to the door frame member, or its equivalent,carrying the clip member 14 may be effective either to attach or to detach a car door sign, or the like; and that, when attached in the general manner described, the resiliency of the sheet metal 19 and/or the resiliency of the spring element 21 {shown in Fig. 2 as slightly twisted away from the plane of the overlying flange Ll), may be relied upon yieldably to press and hold the body of the sign S against a car door, or the like.

Although I have herein described a single complete embodiment of my invention, it should be understood not only that various features thereof may be independently used but also that numerous modifications might be made by those skilled in the art to which this case relates, without the slightest departure from the spirit and scope of this invention, as the same is indicated above and in the following claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In means for detachably securing a sign member having a body portion extending substantially parallel with the side of a car below a lateral opening therein, and having a reinforced flange on the upper end of the si n extending inwardly over the lower edge of said opening; a reinforcement, yieldingly secured to said flange, a clip member secured to the llange reinforcement, a cooperating clip member secured on the lower edge of said openin and cooperating releasable engaging means on said clip members,said cooperative releasable engaging means consisting of fixed engageable means on one clip member and yieldable means on the other clip member, adapted to releasably engage and cooperate with said lined engageable means on the other clip member.

2. In means for the removable attachment of an external member substantially parallel with a surface below a lateral opening in a car; a clip member permanently connected with said external member; and a cooperating clip member permanently secured near an edge of said opening, one of said clip members being provided with means to prevent accidental separation thereof, said means com- PliSlDg a resilient part, within one of said clip members, engaging means for the retention of the other of said clip members, but permitting disengagement of said clip members by a longitudinal relative movement therebetween.

3. In means for detachably securing a sign nember having a body portion extending substantially parallel with the side of a car below a lateral opening therein and having a flange on the upper end of the sign extendin inwardly over the lower edge of said opening; a resilient member secured to the flange on the sign member; a clip member secured to said resilient member; a cooperating clip member secured to the lower edge of said opening and cooperating releasable engaging means on said clip members.

l. in means for detachably securing a sign member having abody portion extending substantially parallel with the side of a car'below a lateral opening therein and having a flange on the upper end of the sign extending inwardly over the lower edge of said opening, a flat spring member attached at its ends to the flange on said sign member; a clip member secured to said spring member intermediate its ends, a cooperating clip membor secured to the lower edge of said opening and cooperating rel asable engaging means on said clip members.

in witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los rlngeles, California, this 19th day of July, 1926.

liner-ear w. Lorin. at. 

